R-E-L-A-X

[Patler]

J-Mike was a damn good "modern-day" TE. Too fast for LBs. Too big for DBs. Excellent route-runner. Awesome after the catch.

J-Mike didn't put up Gronkish numbers b/c there's only 1 rock and the Great Arm of Butte also had to feed the egos of young uns like Jennings, Nelson, Cobb and Jones, as well as the ole stud Driver. J-Mike's presence alone opened up mano-a-mano opportunities for the aforementioned receivers, forcing opponents to "pick their poison."

Fuck Hades and his 4 inch cock in that J-Mike's career ended prematurely. The Packers madly could've used J-Mike last season.

You might be the only person I know who thinks Finley was an "excellent route-runner."

I do agree that losing him was a negative thing, however.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

You might be the only person I know who thinks Finley was an "excellent route-runner."

I do agree that losing him was a negative thing, however.

The film don't lie. Watch how J-Mike runs routes. Excellent, indeed.

[Patler]

Sorry, but a highlight reel about Finley is no more convincing than similar highlight reels about prospects. All it means is that someone found a dozen or so plays in which he did do a good job. A few accidentally well run routes do not make anyone an "excellent route runner" and for all we know those were just that, accidentally well run.

[King Friday]

I like the team. The talent is there.

I'm growing to hate the head coach. He's a small minded simpleton who makes enormous strategical errors in critical moments.

[run pMc]

Tex, McCarthy and Rodgers called 20 runs. 3 runs were Rodgers escaping the pocket. Attempted 36 passes in addition to that. So the ratio for the game is:

Run 20 : Pass 39

That not too much running. He tried to make it work in the first half and it wasn't happening.

Rodgers was 3 for 29. RBs were 20 for 54 (Starks was terrible, Lacy was much more respectable 12 for 50).

The Packers needed to pass in an environment that their tackles could not get good starts. Of course they were going to be under the gun. The short passing game was ineffectual and they couldn't complete a long pass to save their life.

Harv makes some good points re the O line and the health of the offense. Also Cook will only get more involved. But this pattern is very familiar now. Its been going on for 14 games.

So...pass to set up the run? Doesn't that usually involve the short-passing game? Wouldn't that be something our quicker slot WRs could do (Cobb, Ty, Abbrederis)?
It seemed like they couldn't sustain any drives; they'd run Lacy on 1st down for 4 yards, then Rodgers would throw two incompletions.

[Maxie the Taxi]

So...pass to set up the run? Doesn't that usually involve the short-passing game? Wouldn't that be something our quicker slot WRs could do (Cobb, Ty, Abbrederis)?
It seemed like they couldn't sustain any drives; they'd run Lacy on 1st down for 4 yards, then Rodgers would throw two incompletions.

I just watched the first quarter over again and on several occasions Arod could have thrown short cause a guy was open, but opted to go downfield. He and Stubby like big plays. It's what they do.

[deake]

Really bad field position in both games, not helped at all by the new punter. Are there any unemployed kickers out there that can kick it farther than 30 yards? Maybe sign a new guy?

[texaspackerbacker]

Tex, McCarthy and Rodgers called 20 runs. 3 runs were Rodgers escaping the pocket. Attempted 36 passes in addition to that. So the ratio for the game is:

Run 20 : Pass 39

That not too much running. He tried to make it work in the first half and it wasn't happening.

Rodgers was 3 for 29. RBs were 20 for 54 (Starks was terrible, Lacy was much more respectable 12 for 50).

The Packers needed to pass in an environment that their tackles could not get good starts. Of course they were going to be under the gun. The short passing game was ineffectual and they couldn't complete a long pass to save their life.

Harv makes some good points re the O line and the health of the offense. Also Cook will only get more involved. But this pattern is very familiar now. Its been going on for 14 games.

Yeah but ........ I'm pretty sure that ratio was extremely back loaded on passes - desperation time, after the damage was done. If you have a dominant O Line and/or a mediocre QB, then you run-first. If you have a very mediocre O Line and the world's greatest QB, you PASS FIRST, and maybe catch 'em by surprise once in a while with a run. That should be obvious - but it ain't to McCarthy, and seemingly to many in this forum.

[pbmax]

So...pass to set up the run? Doesn't that usually involve the short-passing game? Wouldn't that be something our quicker slot WRs could do (Cobb, Ty, Abbrederis)?
It seemed like they couldn't sustain any drives; they'd run Lacy on 1st down for 4 yards, then Rodgers would throw two incompletions.

McCarthy's offense, going back to Favre, has never done 12 short passes per drive for Touchdowns. They are looking deep much, much more.

When forced to keep it short, you get what we have seen for the last 16 games.

[pbmax]

Yeah but ........ I'm pretty sure that ratio was extremely back loaded on passes - desperation time, after the damage was done. If you have a dominant O Line and/or a mediocre QB, then you run-first. If you have a very mediocre O Line and the world's greatest QB, you PASS FIRST, and maybe catch 'em by surprise once in a while with a run. That should be obvious - but it ain't to McCarthy, and seemingly to many in this forum.

It was 15 passes and 9 runs in the first half tex.

http://www.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/56931/MIN_Gamebook.pdf

[Pugger]

I like the team. The talent is there.

I'm growing to hate the head coach. He's a small minded simpleton who makes enormous strategical errors in critical moments.

Then let the sucking and losing continue. That will be the only way he'll get canned.

[texaspackerbacker]

It was 15 passes and 9 runs in the first half tex.

http://www.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamece...N_Gamebook.pdf

Like I said. That's not nearly enough with this QB and this O Line. If you want to break down the numbers more, how many of those passes were in obvious passing situations because they frittered away one or two downs with lame ass runs?

[texaspackerbacker]

Really bad field position in both games, not helped at all by the new punter. Are there any unemployed kickers out there that can kick it farther than 30 yards? Maybe sign a new guy?

Damn straight. Did Mortell ever sign with anybody else? Or heaven forbid, even Masthay? Both were way better than this new piece-of-crap.

[Carolina_Packer]

Tex, McCarthy and Rodgers called 20 runs. 3 runs were Rodgers escaping the pocket. Attempted 36 passes in addition to that. So the ratio for the game is:

Run 20 : Pass 39

That not too much running. He tried to make it work in the first half and it wasn't happening.

Rodgers was 3 for 29. RBs were 20 for 54 (Starks was terrible, Lacy was much more respectable 12 for 50).

The Packers needed to pass in an environment that their tackles could not get good starts. Of course they were going to be under the gun. The short passing game was ineffectual and they couldn't complete a long pass to save their life.

Harv makes some good points re the O line and the health of the offense. Also Cook will only get more involved. But this pattern is very familiar now. Its been going on for 14 games.

Whether intentional or not, the perception seems to be we must win with Aaron throwing a lot instead of simply calling the game and adjusting. If Lacy gets a hot hand, or Starks, then let them have more focus during that particular game. If the opponent knows that you are forcing a game plan, they are going just change to the template that defenses have used to stop the Packers offense since the slump started last season. Is MM willing to try and emphasize Lacy and run game more, try and establish the run more instead of letting it disappear in a one score game, or does he feel "obligated" by pay or perception of his star QB to ride Aaron's talents no matter what? Sometimes trying harder is the worst thing you can do.

[texaspackerbacker]

Whether intentional or not, the perception seems to be we must win with Aaron throwing a lot instead of simply calling the game and adjusting. If Lacy gets a hot hand, or Starks, then let them have more focus during that particular game. If the opponent knows that you are forcing a game plan, they are going just change to the template that defenses have used to stop the Packers offense since the slump started last season. Is MM willing to try and emphasize Lacy and run game more, try and establish the run more instead of letting it disappear in a one score game, or does he feel "obligated" by pay or perception of his star QB to ride Aaron's talents no matter what? Sometimes trying harder is the worst thing you can do.

In this case, perception is reality. The reason they won't/CAN'T stick with run-first - why it disappears in most games - is that it simply doesn't work with this O Line. The damn shame of it is McCarthy sticks with that run-first mentality so damn long before finally getting the message. It ain't like the Badgers against most of the Big Ten. The key to Lacy or Starks "getting the hot hand" is running as a change of pace after a bunch of pass plays. The only "obligation" I see is the obsession to run to set up the pass when it SHOULD be the other way around.